US Army Vet: "I used to be a Trump Troll -- till Sarah Silverman engaged with me."

[pnwmom]

https://forward.com/scribe/402478/i-was-a-trump-troll/

I used to be That Guy. I always voted Republican. I watched Fox News. I read clickbait articles on Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. I echoed these slanted talking points when I was a Radio show guest prior to the 2016 Presidential General Election. In one sense, I was just your average, conservative, pro-Israel Jewish American. Yet, I was also a full-fledged, unapologetic, red-hat wearing Trumper.

When the General Election came and it was between Trump and Clinton, my choice was easy. I did not even think to research any of Clinton’s accomplishments as First Lady, Senator, or Secretary of State — like most conservatives, I just focused on her seemingly never ending “scandals.” I was part of the “LOCK HER UP” chorus, even though she was thoroughly investigated and cleared by the FBI. I did, and perhaps still do, feel Clinton’s leadership was lacking during and after the Benghazi attack, but many among the MAGA crowd blamed her personally for the resultant deaths, and I joined in. Trump, on the other hand, was hailed as a friend of Israel and the Jewish people. Yet, unlike with Clinton, I looked only at Trump’s accomplishments, ignored his failures and defended or even celebrated his bad behavior. Consequently, I put all my efforts into helping elect him.

While aboard the “Trump Train,” I met many Trump supporters who felt stigmatized or ignored on Twitter. They introduced me to specific Direct Message (DM) groups where they felt their voice could be heard without judgement from “RINOs” or “Liberals.” These DM groups also served as a sort of amplifier, where one would submit their tweets to get many followers and retweets. A top MAGA Twitter account would quote someone they didn’t like, Trump supporters would then swarm in and malign that individual for dissenting thought. At the time, I didn’t think about how vile many of these tweets were, even while sending them out myself. I felt at home, as these Twitter accounts were supposedly conservative, pro-God, pro-guns, pro-flag, and pro-secure borders. For those foolish enough to critique any of those values, there was a Twitter mob eagerly waiting to attack. I was part of that mob.

Then came the moment that changed my life in politics and social media. I accused Sarah Silverman and liberals as a whole (since conservative pundits and media do this) of caring more about Illegals than American Veterans. To my surprise, Sarah Silverman replied, and the resulting dialogue was respectful. Months went by and we interacted more on Twitter on issues like gun reform, DACA, and abortion. Not only did I learn from her, but I learned from her followers who showed me why they fight for these rights. I discovered sources with journalistic integrity which debunked the lies and generalizations that conservative media often report. I slowly began reevaluating my principles.

SNIP

[nolabear]

1. This is why I try to engage in dialogue if I engage at all.

Lots of times it’s not worth it. Trolls are like men in groups who wolf whistle and catcall. It’s not about the woman. It’s all for one another. So fighting just fuels that in trolls. But if I do engage I do it in the spirit of conversation. And I’ve had some reasonable ones, even when we can’t agree on anything. I like to hope I opened the door just a little though.

[Hoyt]

2. Hope this guy is serious, but I'm betting he pulls GOP lever in 2020.

Going from a trump loving/tolerating racist/bigot, “illegal” hating, Clinton hating, etc., GOPer, to a Democrat is hard to believe in 99+% of cases.

Although, maybe he’s an exception.

[MountCleaners]

10. I subscribe to his Twitter

He is very serious, and argues with Trumpists all of the time. He seems like a really nice guy. He is young. I forgive him.

[okaawhatever]

3. Excellent. I'm going to finish the article now. Thanks pnwmom nt

[elleng]

4. Thanks.

Respectful

[dustyscamp]

5. Reaching out and dispelling the RW lies is how we win

[BigmanPigman]

6. I read this last Summer and since then I have read

how he has changed her too.

[Bluesaph]

7. That was me in 2003!

And as time went by I learned and became a human.

[lindysalsagal]

9. Welcome to reality. Doesn't that feel better??

[lindysalsagal]

8. clicking for later

[ProfessorGAC]

11. Meh!

In typical conservative fashion, he only revisits his thinking when something negatively affected HIM!
It took the nutjob mob turning on him.
Nice that he's now not a Magat but this doesn't say he's voting dem.
So he's a tiny bit less selfish? I'm doing no welcome dance.

[Tom Rinaldo]

14. Anyone who was a fixture in a partisan online world doesn't write something like this lightly

He has no doubt brought a lot of hate down on his own head for having done so. Whether or not he reliably always votes Democratic from here on out is not established, nor the point. Just because he has seen through some of the lies doesn't make him a political guru. However his eyes are now more open. He can respectfully listen to viewpoints that he once thought were "Un-American", and change his mind in response to logic and facts. This is a good thing.

Nicolle Wallace has not pledged to always vote Democratic in the future either. She is not my political guru either. Someday she may be out there working for some centrist coalition, who knows? But it is good to have a voice like hers in the media daily now exposing the lies and ugliness of the Trump Administration. And it is overall good for people to break free from cult reinforcement of hateful viewpoints so that genuine dialog is possible.

[ProfessorGAC]

15. I'm Less Convinced

Your point is fair, i just don't have your optimism about him.
Given he's an ex-military he wasn't going to be one who took up arms against the country in support of "it".
He was a drone, and now he's not a drone.
That's about as far as I can take this.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

12. Engagement can work, but it's unrealistic to expect people who feel vulnerable or who have had

enough with oppression to engage with their oppressors. This is not a reproach of you, pnwmom -- just a reminder to the larger audience that engagement success stories are sometimes used against marginalized people. "If POC would just talk to white nationalists, they'd learn that POC are actually people!"

[Cosmocat]

13. Still waiting for ONE media developed article/story

that extolls the importance of right wingers to reach out to the liberals ...

[lindysalsagal]

16. Nice story, but he's the exception.

[BootinUp]

17. Well written. I always thought Silverman

a pretty good spokesperson for liberal values.